The UAE has come in the first place across the Middle East region while ranking the fourth globally in launching the 5G network, the Global Connectivity Index (GCI) showed based on Carphone Warehouse.

Globally, the UAE ranked the third in the GCI’s index that measures the Total Connectivity Rating (Most Connected Countries) through four pillars; movement infrastructure, information technology, global connectivity, and social connectivity, according to a recent press release.
The UAE’s success reflects the efforts of the communication sector in general as well as the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) which is being the main contributor to the launch of the 5G technological revolution across the country.

On this occasion, TRA’s director general Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori emphasised that the launch of the 5G service reflects the country’s continuous efforts and the achieved progress.

He further praised the UAE’s jumping up to the first regionally and the twelfth globally in the Global Digital Competitiveness ranking.

“We will continue to strive for the lead with determination and strength, guided by the directives of our wise leadership, to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 and the National Agenda Goals,’’ Al Mansoori noted, according to the UAE News Agency (WAM).

The UAE’s achievement proves that the country is on the right track to complete its digital transformation journey and to embrace the artificial intelligence (AI) era and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

“5G is the key to the future, and the main foundation for civilisation milestones that the world will witness in the next few years. In the UAE, in the light of these facts, it is evident that we need to accelerate strategies and plans of 5G in terms of foresight, analysis and planning, in preparation to the transition from smart government to a full intelligent lifestyle,’’ Al Mansoori concluded.

By the end of 2017, the TRA started applying and using the International Mobile Telecommunications-2020 (IMT-2020) or the 5th generation.

It is worth remarking that the transformation into the 5th generation of mobile technology will empower the UAE to achieve its goals in terms of global competitiveness, especially its announced goal of achieving the first global position in online government services, and a top ten position in the information and communications technology infrastructure (ICT) readiness as per the UAE Vision 2021

-Mubasher